How to make Sennheiser Cable (497) more durable?

[Elumguy]

Alright, so I've had my 497's for about 2 years, and have loved them all along- to the point where I've had them around my neck almost every weekday for the past 7 months. Needless to say, this is a huge strain on the cable- between all the times it gets hung on somehting while I keep moving etc. etc. A few weeks ago I noticed a lack of sound in my left ear, due to a break in the cable where it meets the bendy part of the plug (gotta love those technical terms). Since this initial break, I've resoldered and duct taped (I don't have any heat shrink) three times. After this forth failure, it seems that solder and duct tape just don't provide the durability I need.

Seeing as this community has many experienced cablers, I figured I would ask before spending 12 bucks (after shipping) for a new cable direct from sennheiser- Is there something I could do to make this cable withstand the stress I put on it? Also, if I do go ahead and buy a new, fully-intact cable, is there something I could do to the cable to prevent this from happening again?

 

[Megaptera]

If I remember correctly, the HD497 cable does not have propriety plugs, right? What I would do is just pick up some nice, flexible cable or wire, a 1/8" stereo plug, and two mono plugs of whatever size the 497 needs, and make your own. May or may not be cheaper, depending on what parts you use, but you could pick up some good heatshrink at the same time, and make sure you get plugs with good strain relief.

Or if want, just replace the plugs themselves. I remember seeing the size you need at Radio Shack, and they had some strain relief on them.

 

[Elumguy]

I heard that they were common plugs, but (granted I haven't made an effort to go out and physically hunt them down) really haven't seen them before. They're significantly smaller than a standard mini-stereo (3.5mm?) plug, as you can see below. Plus, any other plastic formation is likely to prevent the plug from fitting in the headphone body.

(that's the good mono plug- I fear ridicule for what I've done to the other

)

At this point I'm somewhat leaning towards reinforcing a new cable. Would supergluing the point where this one broke and/or giving the cable an outer sheathing of techflex (or similar) make a worth while difference?

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

You certainly could make a cable on your own, unfortunently from what I heard most of the commercially available 2.5mm plugs have too large of a barrel to fit into Sennheiser headphones. In which case it may be more trouble than it is worth, and would most likely be more expensive than a replacement from Sennheiser due to the shipping charges you'd incur from ordering micro plugs until you find a suitable one.

If you add some adhesive heatshrink where the joints are it will act as a strain relief.

 

[individual6891]

Well you did a search then o.0

 

[individual6891]

Oops forgot: